Bowl of Heaven

October 3, 2012

author |

Gregory Benford, Larry Niven

year published |

2012

In this first collaboration by science fiction masters Larry Niven (Ringworld) and Gregory Benford (Timescape), the limits of wonder are redrawn once again as a human expedition to another star system is jeopardized by an encounter with an astonishingly immense artifact in interstellar space: a bowl-shaped structure half-englobing a star, with a habitable area equivalent to many millions of Earths…and it’s on a direct path heading for the same system as the human ship.

A landing party is sent to investigate the Bowl, but when the explorers are separated—one group captured by the gigantic structure’s alien inhabitants, the other pursued across its strange and dangerous landscape—the mystery of the Bowl’s origins and purpose propel the human voyagers toward discoveries that will transform their understanding of their place in the universe.

Comments (2)

Sorry but this was a disaster. What action there was made little sense and the various descriptions of the bowl and its contents left one bewildered instead of informed. Perhaps the worst aspect was the decision-making process of the humans – they couldn’t have been any dumber. The aliens were hum-drum prototypes that never rose above “slightly interesting.”

A bowl… what a wonderful concept.
Nevertheless, I see engineering flaws:
Half (actually more than that, counting reflection) of the sun’s total energy output are NOT captured. Lost in the interstellar darkness.
“Habitable area”? I prefer encased volumes (“indoor enviroments”).
According to careful calculation, the internal surface of a Dyson Sphere is too hot to be inhabitable.
Having said these, I still want to read this book.